Scarsdale Leads the Way in Food Scrap Recycling

On May 13, 2017, at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, Westchester County recognized the Village of Scarsdale with a 2017 Earth Day Award for introducing a food scrap recycling program for Scarsdale residents. The award was presented by Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett during a County Earth Day 2017 celebration event. On hand to receive the award were Mayor Dan Hochvert, Trustees Deb Pekarek and Jane Veron, and members of the Village Ad Hoc Committee on Food Scraps Recycling, residents Ron Schulhof and Michelle Sterling.

Trustee Deb Pekarek used the occasion to urge Deputy County Executive Plunkett to consider having the County re-start its food scraps recycling program. The County's program, which included the operation of County-owned food recycling machinery, has been suspended due in part to the lack of volume of collected food scraps. As residents' voluntary participation in food scraps recycling increases, it may eventually be possible to prompt the County to re-activate its program. Having a food scraps re-cycling facility in the County would increase the efficiency of the program by reducing the distance the contractor that picks up the food scraps from the Recycling Center has to travel to get to a composting facility.

Scarsdale's lead in food scrap recycling has been generating interest in other Westchester communities and a number of them have sent representatives to the Village Secor Road Recycling Center to observe the Village's program. In at least one case, the positive impact of such a visit has resulted in a prompt response. A week ago, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner and members of his staff visited the Secor Road Recycling Center and observed the Scarsdale food scraps program in operation. Yesterday Supervisor Feiner announced that the Town of Greenburgh "will be working with the Greenburgh Nature Center trying to come up with a plan to implement a similar program."

Village residents dropped off over four tons of food scraps at the Recycling Center last week. In the previous week, residents were able to pick up compost generated by the program for free. For information about the Village's program and future compost pick up days, go to this page on the Village web site.